Jump Squared
by MochiUs
Summary: Kagami Taiga is a normal superhero who keeps getting kidnapped by a mysterious and annoying blue-haired villain.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Happy Aokaga Month! I'm back, so this is the new fic I've been working on to celebrate this glorious month. My niece drew some fanart of this. Check it out on my tumblr** **post**

 **post/125579779208/happy-aokaga-month-my-niece-thought-it-would-be**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Don't Jump to Conclusions If They are Off the Wall**

Kagami is no damsel in distress, but here he is, blindfolded and tied up to a chair with his wrists bound behind the backrest of a chair. He can't say for certain, but most likely it is from IKEA.

His last memory before he woke up with a throbbing headache and a sore back was being knocked out by falling debris from a crumbling building. Unfortunately, that is all he can recall, so for a period of time, he struggles with all of his might to break the bonds. Sadly, this task is going to be harder than it looks because the material of the rope was too strong and bit into his unblemished skin.

Kagami purses his lips, irked by the strength of industrial rope. Since his initial idea failed fantastically, he moves on to the next plan because that is what heroes do, to never give up, and in this case, never giving up is in the form of thrashing about like a mad man and violently swinging from one side to the other.

At first, it worked until the chair decided to enact revenge by tipping over.

Kagami smacks his face to the floor.

"Fuck!" he curses.

"Wow," he hears from above, "I never thought it would be _this_ easy to kidnap a hero."

Even though Kagami would love to continue planting his face on the ground, he chooses to shift his head to the direction of the stranger who just spoke. The man's sultry voice seems familiar, but no matter how much he racks his brain, he can't recognize the owner and makes a show of it by furrowing his eyebrows even deeper.

"Who the fuck are you?" he belligerently asks.

He does not know the identity of the perpetrator, but he will not back down from the unknown. His voice doesn't waver, no trace of apprehension or hesitance in his question.

His kidnapper doesn't reveal his identity.

Instead, he is amused, and Kagami swears he can hear his smile when he teasingly answers with a shit-eating grin, "Nobody important."

Extra creases are added to Kagami's frown. He really wants to punch the lights out of the guy.

Though that option is the most desirable, apparently it appears that Mr. Nobody is gracious enough to not leave his red-haired prisoner helpless and vulnerable on the ground. He steps on one leg of the chair and tips it back upright, thus bringing Kagami back into the correct position, too. However, the hero is still back to where he started in the first place- captured and hungry.

He cuts to the chase.

"What am I doing here?" he presses. "What is your purpose?"

Once again, the stranger does not comply with his needs. He glides across the room to grab a plastic water bottle bottom from the kitchen counter and gulps down copious amounts. The sound of water going down his throat is pleasing to the ear, and Kagami unconsciously smacks his lips, realizing that he, too, is thirsty.

"This room is a bit dark," the stranger comments wistfully.

He takes his sweet time walking to the window, relishing the snarl plastered on his guest's face. His prisoner has finally taken the hint that he is being ignored. The stranger immediately separates the maroon curtains apart once he reaches the windows, revealing spotless glass, and beneath it, civilization. The highest view is always best; too bad his captive can't see this breathtaking sight.

Deeming that he delayed his answer long enough, he then says, "If you're asking about my diabolical plan to take over the world," and briefly looks over his shoulder, "There is no such plan."

The stranger smirks, practically sensing his enemy's brewing anger.

He adds, "I just wanted to gloat to all of my friends about how I kidnapped the almighty Jump Squared. It is part of my bucket list after all."

"That's it?!" Kagami growls in disbelief. His rage bursts out in waves. "I'm only here as entertainment?!"

"You're giving yourself too much credit. If I wanted _real_ entertainment, I would have hired some strippers by now."

Realistically, he couldn't because he would get in trouble if his busty assistant saw them.

This man is too irksome, Kagami thinks. Compared to the typical madman trying to rule the universe with an iron fist, this villain is too chatty beyond words, and though he doesn't want to admit it, it's beginning to become bothersome.

"On the other hand, I did laugh after that stunt you did earlier. Totally made my day," he hears.

Kagami flinches as he feels a wet finger trace around his vulnerable left cheek. It is the same, exact one he bruised after his hapless attempt to escape. He gasps as a burning sensation suddenly envelops his entire face, the undetected flames spreading through his skin like wildfire. It's as if his skin is peeling, but at the same time, it's not. It's healing. It's regenerating.

Those cold, icy fingers continue working their magic, and it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together to figure out this man's power.

"You're a water user," he grunts accusingly.

The stranger smiles as a response, and for some strange reason, Kagami just knows. A couple moments later he hears running water, most likely from a faucet nearby, and the stranger collects all of it suspended in the air until it begins to glow. He swipes the air and the body of water instantly falls. Water seeps through Kagami's clothes, but he can feel every ailment in his body healing, rejuvenating. He shudders, confused about this man's intentions.

Then, all of a sudden, he no longer feels wet. The process is finished.

Kagami clicks his tongue disdainfully as if the thought of being nursed back to maximum health sickens him. He does feel somewhat violated, but really, he's just upset over nothing.

The stranger softly laughs and asks in jest, "I don't get a word of thanks?"

"Water," he huffs, "So… _cliché_."

The unnecessary emphasis of the word strangely rubs the stranger's heart the wrong way. When insults are spat toward him from left and right, he would coolly swat them away like mediocre flies, but "cliché" sounds worse. "Cliché" sounds mildly more offensive than the usual plate of demeaning words he would receive.

"You have a prejudice against water users?" he counters assertively.

Nothing leaves Jump's mouth. Not one word.

Instead, he lightly rocks the chair back and forth, back and forth, as if his earlier disaster minutes ago did not faze him. He has no fear of failure.

The other man does not condone violence, especially the cruel and unusual ones, but he makes one small exception and jabs his index finger straight into Kagami's newly healed cheek. This miniscule action causes the hero's shoulders to visibly tense, and in a fit of indignity, he tries to chomp his finger off.

That mission failed on the first trial.

"At least I don't have a dumb power like yours," the blue-haired stranger rebuts. "Managing to jump extremely high after one normal jump is ridiculous and stupid."

He hopes this insult is enough to ruffle Kagami's feathers.

"Hmph," his hostage harrumphs. "Very soon you're going to eat those words."

Not believing his lofty words, the other man scoffs in return. "You're bluffing."

After all, how can this loser escape when he's practically glued to the chair?

The hero Jump Squared tips his chair back again. And again. And again. His captor is not entirely sure if repeating the same movement is all part of a grand scheme to escape, but he is high on alert. Even though he would like to fancy that this infuriating guy is a total idiot, there must have been a good explanation about why this weirdo is a member of the renowned superhero team, the Generation of Miracles.

"Don't underestimate me," Kagami warns.

With the image of him being constrained, it's hard not to, but the blue-haired man can agree, can imagine those blazing, flaming eyes staring up at him in full defiance. He'll humor him, he guesses.

This hero is a rookie, a greenhorn who has yet encountered the true evils of this world. Envy is a feeling he is quite familiar with, and he wishes for the simpler days, the days when justice is simply black and white. He mentally bats away the wave of nostalgia and ignores the ache in his stained heart. Sometimes it difficult, repressing those old memories where he used to fight tooth and nail against any evildoer. People change; he's different now.

How the tables have turned, he thinks bitterly, and opens his eyes to zero in on Kagami. Then he crosses his arms, unimpressed.

"And why is that?" he taunts derisively.

"Because…" Kagami smiles wickedly, "Of this."

He kicks his chair back with less force than usual. Next, his feet are planted back to the floor as they land. The chair tips back for a second time, and this is when the stranger realizes his fatal mistake.

"Shit," he curses and scrambles over to reach for the chair, to stop its momentum, to halt its motion, but it's too late because this man is Jump Squared, the man who can jump extremely high after one initial jump.

The redhead's feet touch the floor, and before his kidnapper can blink, Kagami blasts off into the air, going up, up, up… and bangs his head against the ceiling.

The stranger can't help but wince after hearing the sound his head made when it made contact with the ceiling. It sounded like a gunshot, but it's reasonable since the jump is probably faster than the real thing. Kagami's unconscious body smacks against the ground once more, except this time, it's from higher elevation. Pieces of plaster, both big and small, followed suit.

There are seven wonders in this vast, marvelous world, and Kagami Taiga is the eighth.

Aomine is utterly dumbfounded, wondering how he allowed himself to witness such stupidity in his vicinity.

He has his fair share of crafty heroes, reckless heroes, and even those with questionable motives, but this one right here, the same one who is excessively bleeding from a deep gash on his forehead, is a crude combination of them all. He sighs and massages his temples.

Geez, he just healed this idiot.

He strides over to the sink, slightly concerned about the pool of blood gushing from the injured, and doesn't notice the doors sliding open until he hears the shrill screech of his childhood friend.

"OH MY GOD, DAI-CHAN, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello everyone! First off, I would like to thank InkTheRed for her amazing beta skills to make sure I am not giving you something mediocre. Next, I would like to thank all of you wonderful readers for supporting this story. Well, enjoy (especially the punny titles)!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** **My friend is very paranoid. He says people are either foe him or against him.**

Aomine Daiki is a man of many pleasures, and sipping his sixth packet of Capri Sun is considered one of them.

He was leisurely sucking up the delicious delicacy despite the chemicals and other unhealthy components used to concoct this cheap drink, but sadly, like all good things, they must come to an end. After a couple more vigorous sucks, he finally accepts reality and makes an obnoxious keening noise once his tongue can no longer taste the juice's artificial Strawberry Kiwi flavor.

He raises the crumpled packet in the air and whines, "Satsuki, get me another Capri Sun."

The sound of typing abruptly stops and the pink-haired beauty twists her head in his direction with narrowed eyes, miffed about having her concentration disrupted. Her black, glossy pumps clack against the newly waxed hardwood floor as she approaches the man, with demure and majestic grace. If some cannot believe that the man sitting cross-legged next to a mountain of empty Capri Sun packets is the notorious villain Black Ice, Momoi doesn't blame them, especially with the state her friend is in now. She wrinkles her nose, dissatisfied with his slovenly is in dire need of an hour-long shower because even brand-name air fresheners would not be able to mask his raunchy smell.

Also last time she checked her job description, she doesn't remember signing up to be a housemaid, or worse, a babysitter.

Without a hint of remorse, she snatches the finished drink, throws it at the ground, and repeatedly stomps on it until a bit of leftover juice squirts on Aomine's unsuspecting forehead. The trajectory is quite impressive.

She vehemently clicks her tongue and says, "Get it yourself, you lazy bum."

Her wrath is justified. After all, she pulled an all-nighter to ensure that everything goes according to plan, and if it wasn't for her, all of Aomine's plans would have gone down in flames. Apparently her efforts do not matter since Aomine still makes an exaggerated gasp while clutching his heart. His mouth is also agape as if she had just insulted the man's mother.

His partner in crime shakes her head in defeat, wondering how on earth she got stuck with such a drama queen.

Well, technically she _does_ know, but at least tone down the theatrical performance a notch.

What makes this situation even more ridiculous is the fact that Aomine did not gasp because of the sticky liquid dripping down his face. He should, but it's not. The way he sorrowfully looks at the packet is quite telling, and Momoi braces herself for what she would later call the dumbest line she ever heard from Aomine's poetic mouth.

"You have to respect the pouch, Satsuki," he whispers mournfully, as if he did not just utter the iconic slogan, "Respect it."

Momoi Satsuki, a woman who climbed her way up the ranks to be one of the most well-known hackers of her time with millions tacked to her name, has half a mind to clobber her pathetic friend with her sharpened heels. The impulse is strong, but she slowly breathes in and out, mindful that she is most likely sick of being holed up in the same building as Aomine.

"That's it, Dai-chan," she decides with a stormy expression, "It's time for us to go outside and get some fresh air." Or else she'll lose her sanity.

The blue-haired man misses the dangerous glint in her eye, which is why he can carelessly reply with, "Why? If you want fresh air so bad, we can just open the windows."

Her eye does a slight twitch. Usually this is the part where she would explode and exploit her data bank to convince Aomine why he has to step at least one meter away from this godforsaken building and smell the goddamn roses, but she has an ace up her sleeve. She will use every means necessary to get out of this hellhole.

A devilish smirk is planted on her benign face- one that could possibly rival Aomine's.

"If you clean up and dress appropriately enough for the public eye," she proposes with her singsong voice, "I promise we'll go out and eat lunch with your boy toy."

Aomine shoots her the evil eye once he understands the context of her proposition.

"Wow, rude. That's very demeaning of you to objectify him like that. He's a person, too, you know."

Momoi blankly stares back at the plethora of porn magazines circling the perverted man with dead eyes, not wanting to deal with the hypocrisy shoving at her face. She opens her mouth to speak but closes her parted lips after a second thought. Unable to formulate a snarky response, she gives up on performing the task altogether.

Aomine makes a pouty face.

"I don't want to go outside," he complains.

"It's for your own good," she snaps back.

She slowly bends down, careful of not tripping over, and picks out some important paperwork mixed into this convoluted mess.

"I'm a bad guy!" he exclaims. "People are going to recognize me!"

"And that's why we bought you a wig," she interjects.

"It's itchy," he whines.

"Well, suck it up. You have the money. Buy a better wig."

Aomine puffs out his cheeks. Nobody, not even the best persuasive speaker from Public Speaking 101, could argue against that. He doesn't want to seem like a big baby, so he turns around and begins stacking his exclusive gravure.

In a long while, he is actually being productive until Momoi tells Aomine out of the blue, "It's fortunate that his regeneration capabilities are abnormally higher than the average human."

Aomine simply grunts but doesn't comment. He continues cleaning up his so-called mess.

"Do you think… Kagamin hit his head against the ceiling on purpose?" she asks cautiously and side-glances Aomine to gauge his reactions.

"You can't be serious, Satsuki," he sighs. His life is not a conspiracy theory show, for Pete's sake.

"But because of that fiasco, a lot of people nearby heard us and called the authorities, which forced us to flee," she explains. "I know it's a far-off hunch, but maybe he-"

"Don't," Aomine interrupts. "I refuse to believe the possibility."

"Dai-chan-"

"He is just an incompetent fool who got lucky," he snaps back.

Momoi clamps her mouth shut.

Aomine does the same, surprised at his temper.

"Sorry," he apologizes softly with his head facing the ground.

He turns around and doesn't look back as he heads toward the bathroom door. End of discussion. No more questions, and definitely no further mention of Jump Squared. He wills himself to not look over his shoulder, in fear of looking straight into his friend's concerned eyes. They would only deepen his sour mood.

He silently bathes under the hot, scalding water and ponders over why the hero's existence baffles him. Usually showering in his element would soothe him, but lately the stress has been building up, especially with what transpired yesterday. His feelings are in disarray, and from experience, feelings, in general, suck.

It stings, he admits, to see the Generation of Miracles openly accept that guy as his replacement. That is one box he can check off, and it still pisses him off. Kagami seems so unreliable, so miniscule compared to the others, and yet there he is, filling up the hole Aomine left behind.

Aomine blindly reaches for the soap and listlessly lathers his own skin.

Why is he so fixated to Kagami Taiga? Does he- he shudders- miss being a hero?

No, he thinks and clenches his jaw. He can no longer dwell upon these feelings any longer because he had already cultivated his resolve years ago, and he will not allow them to be destroyed just because of one absolute idiot.

Like other issues he cannot resolve in a day, he ignores them, even if the sting is worse than touching a lemon slice with a paper cut.

* * *

The art of sneaking into an eating establishment is not exactly Kagami Taiga's forte.

He peeks through the small crevice of the back door and strains his eye to make sure that the coast is clear. As a test run, he softly presses against it but instantly regrets it when he hears an audible creak. He pointedly glares at its hinges, as if it was a person instead of an inanimate object. A couple of restless moments pass, and after no sign of he-who-must-not-be-named, Kagami gives himself one last burst of courage to squeeze his way inside, careful to not cause too much shuffling in case of-

"Hello Kagami-kun."

Well, speak of the Devil. Shit.

The redhead who is presently caught red-handed turns his head away. He cannot bear seeing Kuroko fold his arms in disappointment and starts to sweat once he hears the steady rhythmic taps coming from the shorter man's leather shoes.

It's a given. He is in some hot water right now.

"If I recall from the debriefing," the light blue-haired man reminds him coldly, "You should be at home."

Kagami anxiously rubs the back of his neck.

"Resting," he hears not a beat later.

Kagami flinches at the harsh tone. For a tiny, baby-faced hero like Kuroko, he is quite the intimidating one.

Kagami weakly mumbles, "But the wound healed overnight…"

"Give me one good reason why I should not report this to Akashi-kun," he deadpans.

Kagami gulps aloud.

The earful he received earlier from the leader of the team is still ringing in his ears, and truthfully, he doesn't know how much longer his eardrums can take it. He starts contemplating about how he should bribe Kuroko to keep his gossipy mouth shut, but then Kuroko does something unexpected. He makes a light-hearted chuckle.

"You should have seen the look on your face," he laughs. "Priceless," he adds as he wipes a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye.

"You…" Kagami smiles with a lopsided grin, unable to disinfect himself from his partner's infectious laugh, and tries to grapple him, "Punk!"

Foolishness is attacking an assassin with the knowledge of getting your ass kicked.

True friendship is also attacking your friend with the knowledge of possibly getting yourself dismembered.

Being flipped over by Kuroko without mercy is the remedy for his foolhardiness, and he needs this. He needs to feel carefree without a worry in the world, and being caged in his home won't do jack shit. He lets out a choked laugh since he hasn't fully recovered from Kuroko's brute strength yet but still fondly stares back at those familiar aquamarine eyes as the owner of those eyes picks him up from the ground.

"How was work?" Kagami asks nonchalantly, as if conducting assassinations and infiltrations is a daily routine for the other man.

"Different," his friend replies and manipulates his expression back to its usual bland, emotionless way. "I was training another power user."

"Cool," he comments. "What type?"

Before Kuroko could reveal his pupil's ability, one of their fellow coworkers, a man with short, spiky dark brown hair named Koganei, enters the kitchen with determined eyes and walks over to the two.

"Kagami-san, a customer here wants to see you," he informs him.

This perks Kagami's interest.

"Who is it?" he asks.

Koganei shrugs and says, "I don't know, but it seems that he knows you."

That statement alone is a huge clue, which is why Kagami barrels out of the kitchen without a flicker of doubt or uncertainty and signals Kuroko that he'll be back soon. He hurries through the door that is connected to the café and quickly fixes his facial expression. He tends to be an open book, and even though these people are his regular customers, he does not want a certain regular to notice the shot of joy coursing through his veins. The café is not busy at the moment, and he is secretly grateful for the lull since it means more time to chat with the two figures sitting at their frequent spot, which is placed at a dimly lit corner near the area where other customers grab their drinks.

Kagami beams as he recognizes Momoi and her companion.

"Aomine!" he calls out with a toothy grin.

He doesn't want to seem overzealous, but his feet have their own agenda as they briskly stride over to the couple. The man with the shaggy black hair and soul-shattering cobalt blue eyes grins back in return. Aomine scrawls some words onto his whiteboard and picks it up for Kagami to see. His handwriting is messy but legible.

'Hello Kagami. How are you today?'


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: When two bakers traded buns, they had a roll reversal**

The life of a superhero is not a luxurious one and is rather mundane. Unless you are Akashi or Kise, the life of a superhero practically consists of nothing but constant vigilance and a lot of waiting. Tokyo is not some dystopia with criminals and the ilk running amok. The next catastrophe is not going to strike anytime soon, so this opens up a lot of free time for the Generation of Miracles.

Akashi Seijuuro, the seemingly impeccable leader of their mismatched bunch, inherited his father's company after his untimely death and continues his legacy as the head of the corporation. He created and opened the Superhero branch as a place where many individuals such as himself could thrive within their community. With his insurmountable donations, researchers far and wide have been able to use their progressive technology to provide the public further understanding of the origins behind the powers that mysteriously cropped up many years ago. This is only a snapshot of Akashi's success, and with great power, comes great responsibility. If he is not manning the team with his insightful calculations, he would be running executive meetings back to back. If he is doing neither, he is probably avoiding assassination attempts left and right.

Kise Ryouta, when he is not actively working as a hero, works in the entertainment industry as a distinguished model, the type designers would gratuitously pay thousands for him to appear in one of their fashion shows. As the team's driving force of their popularity, he continues to preserve his role as the adorable, happy-go-lucky character of the group. With his celebrity status, he has the world eating out of his hand.

However, not every member of the Generation of Miracles has the freedom to reveal their identity to the general public. Some cannot afford the consequences, and some prefer a more private life.

Midorima Shintarou, for instance, is an anomaly. Due to his past, he is under constant surveillance by the government, and up to this day, he is still not fully trusted by the officials who observe his every move. He is an agent who occasionally participates in a wide range of missions, but if his presence is leaked to the people of Tokyo, problems would only pop up like daisies. Before, he could not even step out of government grounds until a certain Takao Kazunari took him in under his watchful eye. His recent involvement with the superhero team became a controversial issue within the higher ranks, but with Akashi's insistence, Midorima can loosen the noose around his neck as long as his identity is kept secret.

Murasakibara Atsushi, in Kagami's eyes, is an even bigger enigma than the villain who kidnapped him yesterday. There are rumors of the purple-haired man running a bakery, but there is no proof, no evidence of this absurd fabrication. All he sees is a giant, gluttonous child.

Not surprisingly, the most discreet of them all is Kuroko Tetsuya. He is a man who lurks between the shadows and kills when necessary. Excluding the Generation of Miracles and a selected few, Kuroko is only perceived as a myth, a legend, which is why it is so strikingly hilarious to see him helping out at the café whenever he is waiting for his next mission, but Kagami can empathize with the young assassin.

Unlike the rest of the team, minus Kagami, Kuroko was not inherently born with his powers. Though it is not an uncommon situation for a regular person to suddenly acquire them in the middle of their lives, it does not change the fact that Kuroko now has the ability to make people forget the past five seconds with a snap of his fingers. The redhead does not want to seem too presumptuous, but maybe this side job is somewhat the phantom man's desperation to cling to his once-normal life, the life he had before it changed forever, because working here is, not surprisingly, normal.

Last but not least is Kagami Taiga, the newest member of the team. Fresh from his mentor's arduous training regime, he is ready to save the day alongside his teammates. Jump Squared is a brash and boisterous hero, but when he sheds off the uniform and puts away the mask, he is only Kagami Taiga, an average man with an average job. There are some troublesome complications, however, whenever an average man like Kagami Taiga wants to maintain an average job, because a superhero's schedule is not fixed. Akashi, from the goodness of his heart, offered Kagami a position at one of the numerous businesses he owns, which explains why he is now working at the Kiseki Café.

One benefit he gains from this part-time job is its flexibility whenever the city is in peril. He doesn't have to worry about leaving his workplace without a notification because his coworkers are aware of his identity and his responsibilities. Initially, he was skeptical about the schematics, but Akashi assured him that these people are trustworthy. His coworkers are people who were hired after intensive screenings and background checks. Their interviews are monitored by those having the ability to detect lies. Not only that, these people signed a legally binding contract in the event that one of them decided to become a backstabber. Kagami wants to be distrustful, but he has a hard time to find a hole in Akashi's reasoning, especially when the system is set in stone.

Moreover, if he didn't work here, he would have never met Aomine Daiki.

"Introduce me to your friends, Kagami-kun."

He instinctively jolts, still unaccustomed to his friend's tendency to give him a heart attack.

He quickly whips his head around.

"Stop doing that!" he growls.

Kuroko tilts his head. "What do you mean, Kagami-kun?"

"You know what you did!"

Kuroko gives an impish smile in return, well aware of his actions. Then he redirects his eyes to the customers and reveals nothing about his inner emotions, especially his burgeoning interest in his partner's friends. Even though it is not impossible, it is rare to have normal relationships outside of this super-powered world.

Kuroko looks from one person to the next. "What is your name?" he innocently asks.

The woman with hair as pink as cherry blossoms gets out of her seat and extends her hand toward Kuroko for a formal handshake.

"My name is Momoi Satsuki," she introduces herself.

"Kuroko Tetsuya," he answers her unspoken question with gentlemanly taste, and firmly grasps her hand.

Momoi can't help but giggle and blush when he leaves a chaste kiss on her fingertips, and the gesture leaves both Aomine and Kagami to roll their eyes and make gagging noises. The unsuspecting woman has melted into flustered goo.

Kuroko turns to the black-haired man, who he assumes to be named Aomine since Kagami yelled out his name earlier, and quirks his eyebrow when he sees the man present his whiteboard to him. His full name is written in bold.

"This guy here is Aomine Daiki," Kagami says while wrapping an arm around his broad, sturdy shoulders. "He's alright. He looks like he could kill you, but actually he's a cinnamon roll inside," he laughs and softly kneads Aomine's temple with his free hand.

Aomine scrunches up his face and scowls, unhappy to be compared to some freshly glazed pastry. He doesn't even like cinnamon rolls. If he had a say, he would be something with Nutella.

He expresses this discontentment through his whiteboard, which showcases a poorly drawn middle finger, but in Kagami's honest opinion, it looks like a sad attempt of a boob with stretch lines. The sentiment is still taken to heart, so he sticks out his tongue in return.

A tongue should not seem so aggravating to the villain in disguise, but Aomine would beg to differ. He hastily erases the board with his sleeve and uncaps his marker with his mouth, prepared to scribble down more venomous words until Momoi snatches the writing utensil out of his hands.

Aomine is shocked that she interrupted his fun.

"I warned you, Aomine-kun," she chides, "I told you to not draw or write anything inappropriate, but you did." She wrings the whiteboard from his grasp. "Because of that, you just lost your whiteboard privileges."

Kagami and Kuroko are amused.

Aomine is not.

As Kagami stifles his snickering, obviously not showing an ounce of guilt, Kuroko scrutinizes the strange, tanned man with a critical eye. His disposition is peculiar: There are not many civilians who communicate this way unless-

"He's a power user, too," Kagami explains, as if he just read his mind.

Maybe he can.

"His power involves speech, based on what Momoi told me when we first met," he clarifies.

"Yes," she says. "It's too dangerous for him to speak nowadays, so Dai-chan chose silence."

Kuroko nods in understanding and carefully glances at Aomine. The man seems unaffected by the topic of his circumstance, but it could all be a ruse. After all, there was a time when he was in his shoes, and whenever the subject was mentioned, Kuroko would detach himself from the conversation and turn numb.

"He just moved here a few months ago, around the same time he discovered his power," Kagami elaborates.

Then he puts his hands on his hips and scoffs, "But this idiot is too stubborn to learn sign language even though I offered to teach him."

The black-haired man is either too lazy or lacks the motivation to learn, but this does not discourage Kagami nor dampen his passion to help those in need. It is an admirable trait, but it boggles Momoi's mind to see this man so insistent to help somebody he just met a couple of months ago.

"It's nice of you to help, but why are you so adamant about this, Kagamin?" Momoi inquires.

There is a prolonged silence on Kagami's part. At first, he recollects his thoughts because the way he wants to describe these feelings are stuck at the tip of his tongue. Then images of a young boy with raven black hair and a mole under his visible right eye flash through his mind as he reaches the core of his intentions, the true reason why he wants to help Aomine so much. His brain short-circuits, the memories too painful to linger in. His breath stutters, and his hand instinctively creeps up to his chest to search for his anchor, the ring that is supposed to be dangling from his neck, except that he forgot it at home.

He takes a deep breath. That's right. He can't always be dependent on a piece of jewelry.

"I don't know about your hardships," he starts, "But I knew somebody who experienced the same process."

There is a raw earnestness within those fiery, impassioned eyes of his, the sort that can inspire others to do better. He may not be Kise, who can woo the female population with a winning smile, or Akashi, who can intimidate practically anybody to do his bidding, but he exudes this magnetic radiance that somehow attracts others to him. And sometimes that is all he needs to persuade Aomine.

"You don't have to do this alone," he mutters awkwardly and looks away.

The tables look very intriguing today.

"We don't have to meet every day… I'm willing to go at your pace as long as you want to learn…"

Kagami also has a severe coughing fit at the moment.

As the redhead coughs away his short-lived embarrassment, Aomine is diagnosed with a disease, and that disease is named guilt. His lies have already piled up into a mountain, and the amount will only increase from here on out. Alarms are ringing in his head, but it's too late to back out. The guilt is consuming his crumbling resolve to keep his stance, to distance away from this strange man. He slaps his hand against his forehead and slides it down his face.

He nimbly steals the whiteboard back, writes down his answer in lightning speed, hands his message to Kagami.

This is a charade he is willing to play until the end.

Kagami reads his words, reads it again, and smiles the biggest smile Aomine has ever seen on a twenty-three year old man. His forked eyebrows make no difference on how cute he is. Actually, it may have heightened it.

"So, I think I've kept you waiting long enough," Kagami says with a skip in his step, "The usual, right?"

"Yup!"Momoi cheers.

"I'll be right back. C'mon Kuroko, stop stalling."

Kuroko makes no comment even though it is Kagami's fault. He has a lot to share with his teammates in the future.

The two return to the kitchen and Momoi cups her cheek with a sly smirk planted on her face.

"So what did you write?"

Nothing, he thinks.

He just left his number.

And a note that might have said, "Call me so that we can arrange our first meeting."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! Thank you very much for reading this chapter! If you have any confusion about anything (I mean, it is a lot of stuff in this AU), I am free to answer any questions!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** **The trampoline was on sale for fifty percent off. Needless to say he jumped on the offer.**

"Seriously, a tracking device?" Black Ice dubiously asks. "I know I'm not as nefarious as _some_ villains, but at least give me some credit," he says with a tinge of irritation.

He crushes the tiny chip with his bare hands despite Imayoshi offering to deactivate the little bug; the sound of destroying Akashi's itty-bitty gadgets is music to his ears.

"Note to self," Kagami reminds himself with a drip of sarcasm, "Do not bring tracking devices."

"That's a good boy," he coos and pets his prisoner's head with an inch of fondness until the disgruntled hero aims for his defenseless crotch with his powerful legs. For once, his thighs are being put to good use instead of mediocre photo shoots, and utilizing them to render a villain into a sniveling mess weeping over his damaged penis sounds pleasantly perfect.

Of course, his kidnapper is a spoilsport and swiftly dodges from his deadly boots, which is incredibly unfair because he totally has the upper hand in this situation.

Kagami's kidnapper, he learns not too long ago, is the one and only Black Ice, an ex-member of the Generation of Miracles. He intercepted this tidbit of information from Furihata, but after five consecutive meetings and one awkward dinner discussion with his team members, he finally wrangled out most of the whole story from the group.

He could have researched the answer himself. After all, not many have the ability to manipulate water and proclaim themselves as villains, but trust is a main player in his relationship with the other Generation of Miracles. Without that essential foundation, teamwork is not possible. Besides, he's dealing with a man who used to be their comrade, their friend.

This topic is too sensitive for him to touch upon, and the wall surrounding this matter is too high for him to climb over. The team claims that they were not close in the past. They didn't know each other's identities until Black Ice went rogue, but they must have been close enough, Kagami supposes, for them to fluidly work together as one of the world's strongest superhero teams.

The members did not have to hire a detective to deduce that Black Ice has returned, and worst of all, he is back to enact revenge. His recent activity has been alarming. He has been stealing, and vandalizing equipment and private property belonging to the Superhero Branch's research facilities, and even though his crimes do not attract as much attention as other evildoers, the team cannot keep a lid on this problem forever. With an overview of these cases and the recent incident of Kagami's abduction, the team unanimously agrees that Black Ice harbors a nasty grudge, one that would inevitably spell trouble.

Kagami hates it when they're right.

His wrists are now chained to a pole in the middle of the room, and he is no longer blindfolded by a dirty rag or tied up to a chair. This is a slight improvement compared the conditions of the last kidnapping, but he is still stuck with this insufferable man. He bares his fangs and waits for the opportunity to escape. As he brews a slew of inappropriate curses in his head, he tugs the chains to test their durability, silently hoping for a weak link to appear, but to his avail, the bonds seem impenetrable. The chains might come off if he jumps, but there is no way in Hell is he going to embarrass himself again.

Ceilings are such a drag.

"You are such a cheater," Kagami accuses., "Only a coward would knock me out with sleeping pills."

He never asked to be captured. There's no neon sign on his forehead directing every villain within a mile radius to kidnap his ass.

"I'm sorry," Black Ice says quite unapologetically., "It's not every day I find you unconscious and knocked out by a brick."

Kagami glares back at the man looming over him, but there is not eye contact between the two. Black Ice's eyes are hidden by tinted goggles, so his blood red eyes assess the rest of the man's body instead. It's lean and sinewy, the type of body women would swoon over if he shed off that ridiculous costume, but it's also the type of body Kagami could probably land in the hospital if they happened to wrestle to the death.

Honestly, Kagami was wondering what the fuss is all about when Kise sung sonnets about this man's agility and speed. The blond definitely over-exaggerated about Black Ice's handsome features. He's okay for Kagami's standards, but Aomine is still more attractive by leaps and bounds.

Kagami then peevishly responds with, "How about you _don't_ kidnap me, and let me go on with my life?"

"No can do."

"And why not?!" Kagami fumes. "I think one kidnapping is enough to brag about to your _imaginary_ friends."

Moreover, he could have chosen somebody more interesting… like Midorima. Or Akashi… Or Midorima.

He does not doubt Akashi's remarkable trait to instill fear and respect into the hearts of many, but Midorima should blast this bastard off into space. They are not the best of buddies, but knowing the eccentric green-haired man, he would agree.

"That's true," says Black Ice, "But then I thought of a better idea."

Kagami looks unamused. "Mind sharing?"

"Well, I was thinking of making this into a trend or something. After all, how many villains can you name who could continuously kidnap the same hero?"

Of all the archenemies Kagami could have in this world, he ends up with the loser who wears tinted goggles inside a building and is more concerned about making whatever this is into a trend than his evil agenda. Yup, this is the life.

He heaves a huge sigh. There is no clock in sight, so he can't determine how long he's been here. He might as well piss this guy off until Takao or someone else from the team tracks him down.

He starts off with a yawn and says, "Your costume looks stupid. How can you shamelessly wear a wet suit like that?"

Kagami cannot see past the goggles, but he surmises that the villain would be glaring daggers at this point. Instead, he gains some satisfaction when he hears Black Ice make an affronted noise.

"Are you fucking blind?"

The darker skinned man slides his gloved hand across his chest and says with grandiose words, "This here is state-of-the-art technology, you idiot! Not only does it have the same advantages of a regular wet suit, it's abrasion resistant, fireproof, and a hundred more stuff-"

"And lame," Kagami coughs.

"-than your ugly-ass suit, and I'll have you know that this sleek, simple design is created only by the best of the best. Also-"

He stops in the middle of his tirade once he notices Kagami mocking him by lip-syncing his every word, which is incredibly, in his personal dictionary, rude.

He skims over Kagami's battle gear and says in a clipped tone, "At least my suit is more fashionable than that nightmare you're wearing."

He turns away and dismisses boorishly, "I can't believe you would save the world wearing _that_."

Kagami sputters at the insensitive remark and exclaims hotly, "It's meaningful!"

"Meaningful," the blue-haired man echoes. "How exactly is a huge red arrow splayed across your chest," he pokes at the flashy mark with a hard jab, "meaningful?!"

Kagami turns around in a huff because uncultivated men like Black Ice do not have the right to feast their eyes on this artistic masterpiece.

"It's symbolic!" he growls.

"Symbolic," the other repeats incredulously. "Your designer thought it was a good idea to paint a huge red target on you because…" he pauses and waves his hand, "… of symbolism."

As much as he would love to create a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation about the intrinsic values of his suit and its tear-jerking backstory behind its beautiful design, Kagami would rather go home, do the laundry, and change into comfortable wear. The redhead swears he is going to have a massive migraine by the end of the day if he continues to clash with this man, which is something he would like to avoid at all costs because if he can remember correctly, he is currently out of aspirin, and he doesn't have the motivation to buy aspirin after these shenanigans pass over.

He doesn't deserve to be kidnapped. He's tired, and he should be.

Earlier, he assisted the police and apprehended a low-grade hooligan by himself, which explains why he is wearing his super suit in the first place. Sure, there's also that drugged drink of his, and sure, he's still feeling a tad groggy, but that's not important at the moment. No, what _is_ important is that he just missed watching one of the most anticipated basketball games of the season, and not to mention, his favorite team played in said game.

By now, he could have been taking a quick swig of ice cold beer at home, but nope, he is chained to a pole against his will, and is stuck under the care of this douche.

"Why me?" he moans, "Why couldn't you pick on somebody else? There are many other guys more competent than me."

He's not a self-deprecating piece of shit, but he understands the limits of his powers. Compared to the powerhouses of the team, he doesn't prove to be much of a challenge for the team's numerous adversaries, but he doesn't care. His lack of firepower doesn't stop him from plunging into havoc and pandemonium to protect the populace. With his jumps, he can achieve the impossible.

It's what Alex and Tatsuya taught him after all.

As a response to his words, the blue-haired villain flicks his nose.

"Don't sell yourself too short, Kagami," he croons. "You're a good enough challenge."

Kagami visibly stiffens at the sound of his name. He appears petrified, but his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. His reaction is one of utter horror because the enemy now knows about his double life.

"How do you know my name?" he lowly asks while trying to will the trepidation in his heart to calm down, but it's no use. He can't help but panic as his mind races at full speed. It's on overdrive.

This is bad.

This is bad.

This is bad.

Kagami Taiga has to cease to exist. He has to disappear and move far away to a distant location.

Like Russia.

He shudders and blanches at the thought.

No offense to the country, but he doesn't have the brains to learn a foreign language nor the ability to instantly adapt to its frigid winters. He doesn't want to relocate and abandon his dreams. He likes Japan just fine. Besides, passports are a pain in the ass, and image changes are even worse. He may have to do the extreme like switching his hair color to neon orange and trimming his eyebrows.

Everything is a disaster. He really doesn't want to leave without a proper goodbye, now when he finally became a full-fledged hero. All of his training would be for naught.

Black Ice seems to be grossly inexperienced in dealing with people, because he ends up patting Kagami's shoulder, condescendingly he would like to add, and comments, "Geez, relax. You look like it's the end of the world."

On second thought, maybe he's deliberately acting like a jerk because one common rule in human decency is to never, ever tell a panicking person to relax. And he just broke it.

Kagami, slightly hysterical, accuses back, "It is the end of the world, thanks to you!"

The other raises his hands in defense, surprised by the loud outburst.

"You don't have to be so melodramatic," he says, but these poor choice of words added oil to the fire.

"Shut up, you asshole!" Kagami yells. "I might as well be killed on the spot!"

"But I don't want to kill you."

"You sick bastard," the redhead spits vehemently, "Killing me won't satisfy you, huh? What more do you want from me? Psychological torture until you mentally break me?"

This misunderstanding has to stop before it could reach ridiculous heights, and Black Ice has his own questions to ask anyway. Before the hero could continue his onslaught of verbal attacks, the other man grabs a handy water bottle he left aside for emergencies and splashes its contents into Kagami's face.

Kagami splutters some on his face, but he kind of deserves that.

At least he gained Kagami's undivided attention.

"Okay, listen up," he says and wipes his face with his sleeve. "I promise I won't harm any of your friends or reveal your identity-"

"No."

"I didn't even say anything yet!"

"My answer is still no. There's a catch, I bet, and I refuse to betray my friends or reveal any secrets that could possibly endanger them."

Besides, villains are not trustworthy people in general.

"You just have to answer one question."

"What question?" Kagami asks suspiciously.

The man simply stares at the cuticles in his nails as if they were more interesting than the red-haired man chained to the pole.

"Are you sure you're ready to hear it? It may change your life forever."

Kagami narrows his eyes; never had he heard anything so ominous in his life.

"I'm not joking," Black Ice warns.

He is not smiling.

"You might never see the world the same way again."

"Try me," Kagami dares.

His red emblazoned eyes show that he is prepared for the worst, but even he cannot prepare his ears for what is going to come out of the villain's mouth. The air is crackling with tension, and Kagami holds his breath. His anticipation keeps him from kicking Black Ice in the shin as he steps closer.

The blue-haired man takes a deep breath and finally opens his mouth.

He asks, "Do your powers work when you're on a trampoline?"

Befittingly, there is a pregnant pause.

Then Kagami echoes his jumbled thoughts.

"What?"

Like a teacher who elucidates a word problem to a student, Black Ice clarifies, "Do you jump higher when you're on a trampoline or does it not matter at all?"

His question is not something straight from a Calculus textbook, but it might as well be because Kagami is confused as heck.

"Is that a serious question?" he whispers, uncertain if he is in a recording of a prank right now. "Are you serious?"

Black Ice crosses his arms. "Yes, Kagami, I am very serious," he deadpans.

"Why do you even care?!"

"Because I literally just thought of that in the shower a few days ago, and it has been bothering me for days," Black Ice explains. "So answer the damn question!"

"What kind of reasoning is that?!"

"Haven't you always wondered the limits of your powers?"

"No."

Black Ice groans, "Really? Haven't you ever wondered if you could activate your powers while playing hopscotch?"

"No."

"You know what? Forget that. Just answer if your powers work on a trampoline."

Frustrated, Kagami retorts with, "I don't even know the answer to that!"

Expecting that that would be the case, Black Ice smirks at his response, and it sends chills to Kagami's spine.

"Good," he says with mirth in his voice. "Then you can test that out with the trampoline I just bought."

"No."

"Yes."

"You did not just buy a fucking trampoline for this."

"But I did," he counters. "For science."

* * *

One hour later Kagami finds himself with a shock blanket around his shoulders and a bandage the size of Jupiter on his forehead. Kuroko, he hears, is preoccupied with another mission. The others are on the way, but Midorima is the first one to arrive. He walks toward him in his clunky, chrome suit. His legs pound the floor with each footstep, blasting some of the rubble away from his presence. Fluorescent green light outlines the contours of his suit, giving him an unearthly glow. He crosses past the police and chunks of the wall he exploded earlier, to get to Kagami's side.

His face visor lifts up just a bit.

"I am glad to see that you are well," he stiffly says.

Kagami looks as if he has seen through hell. He wears a cut lip and blood stains on his suit.

"Me too," he feebly replies.

Midorima tries his best to not let the concern seep through his voice, but his actions says otherwise as he uses a feature on his suit to scan his teammate's vitals.

"Did he hurt you? What did he do?" he gently presses.

There is a minor concussion, he finds, but nothing too serious.

He also hears Kagami mumble something, but he didn't quite catch it. He mentally berates himself. He should be focusing on the injured.

"Sorry," he apologizes, "Can you please repeat that?"

"... Ihitmyheadontheceiling."

For a moment, Midorima muses if there is wax stuck in his ear because whatever spilled from Kagami's mouth is incoherent.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes for the second time, "But can you please repeat that... a bit slower?"

Kagami lowers his head in defeat and meekly shuffles the blanket close to his face.

"I hit my head on the ceiling," he mumbles quietly.

"..."

"..."

Midorima simply blinks. Nope, it's still incoherent.

"You hit your head," Midorima repeats slowly as if it would eventually make sense, "On the ceiling

Kagami winced as if the words scorched him.

"Yes..."

"And how did that happen?"

"..."

"..."

"Because I jumped on a trampoline..."

"..."

"..."

If Takao was here, he would have died of laughter. If Kise was here, he would have ruptured a spleen. However, this is Midorima, who goes with the most logical course of action.

He asks questions.

"Now, pray tell me," Midorima says, "Why were you on a trampoline in the first place?"

Kagami will never be able to go out into daylight ever again. Kuroko will never let him live this down. He will be mocked for eternity, and this will probably become the recurring joke of the century.

"Science," he answers miserably, "Because of science."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello I'm back! School is a hassle, but I wanted to finish this as soon as possible. Even if my computer broke (which it did), I refuse to give up! Thank you for your support! Also I would like to thank my amazing Beta, InkTheRed, for editing this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Kagami Never Liked Befriending Assassins. They're all Backstabbers.**

Kagami shakes his head in disapproval.

"No, 'behind' looks like this," he instructs.

He demonstrates the word by closing both of his hands until they are fists with his thumbs sticking out. He then pulls his right hand a couple inches back.

"You use your dominant hand to put it behind the other one," he explains.

Aomine is observant despite his demeanor, and he diligently copies his actions with ease. Kagami unconsciously smiles at his efforts but catches himself at the last minute.

There's nothing to gain from developing feelings, he tells himself. He has no such room for niceties in his life.

Kagami observes Aomine for a while as he reviews over the alphabet and the other words he learned in today's lesson. His student is by no means a fast learner, but then again, one cannot simply learn a new language overnight, even if it is sign language. However, based on Aomine's vast improvement lately, practice is not an issue. Kagami surmises that he must have done a lot.

"You're doing well for a beginner," he praises.

The darker-skinned man huffs at that, but his cheeks are dusted with pink.

"The next word we are going to do is 'below', and it's very simple. It pretty much has the same hand movements as 'beneath'," he explains.

Kagami flattens out his left hand in front of him and moves his other hand right below it. Aomine watches this action with acute scrutiny and imitates it.

"It seems that that two of you are working very hard," Kuroko cuts in.

In his hands is a tray of three steaming mugs of hot chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

"It's about time for a break, don't you agree?" he smiles.

"Thanks, Kuroko! You're the man," Kagami says as he grabs the red mug.

His eyes shine brighter when he notices that Kuroko remembered to add extra mini marshmallows in his cup, just the way he likes it. Aomine gestures his thanks and slowly brings the blue mug to his side, determined to not spill any of the hot liquid on his hands. Kuroko chooses to rest on a nearby chair and takes a tentative sip of his own cup of hot cocoa.

"It seems that Kagami-kun's lessons have borne fruit," he comments wryly.

The red-haired man only shrugs and makes a cursory glance at his star pupil. Aomine gently blows on his drink to cool it down, and this cute gesture tugs Kagami's lips into a crooked smile. He closes his eyes and absorbs the serene atmosphere. Warmth blooms in his chest, and all seems right in the world.

Koganei is manning the cash register, Aomine's shoulder is pressing against his, and he has the perfect cup of hot chocolate in his hand. What could possibly go wrong?

"Aomine-kun! It's time to go home!"

He spoke too soon.

Momoi enters the cafe like a whirlwind while flaunting her best assets, obviously trying to catch a certain someone's attention. Unlike the usual professional attire she wears everyday, today she is wearing a lavender-colored V-necked shirt, which hugs her body like a second skin, and black leggings. Her face is flushed, giving Kagami the impression that she was in a hurry.

"I hope he wasn't too much trouble," she says breathlessly and dabs herself with a napkin.

Kagami smirked at that. "No, he was well-behaved."

Kuroko grabs Aomine's drink and pours the rest of it into a styrofoam cup for him to take home.

While that is going on, Kagami tries his best to not sound too eager when he asks, "When is Aomine going to visit again?"

Momoi and Aomine exchange a look before she answers, "We're a bit busy this week, Kagamin, so maybe next week."

He deflates, obviously disappointed but rebounds back to normal before anybody notices. He masks this illogical feeling with a strained smile and tells himself that seven days is not a long time. At least there is something he can look forward to, he reasons.

He beams a bit brighter and tells Aomine, "Next time you come here, we'll go over food, so don't forget to review those words."

'Can't wait,' he replies with his messy handwriting. It's been awhile since Kagami saw his white board.

"I know I've said this many times, but thank you so much for your help, Kagamin," Momoi bows graciously.

"It's no big deal."

Aomine nudges his friend and tilts his head, signaling her to leave.

Once more the two exchanged a strange look, but before Kagami could ponder over it, Momoi crushes Kuroko with her chest, practically sobbing her farewell.

"It was also nice to see you, too, Tetsu-kun!" she exclaims as she squeezes his poor head.

The pitiful, suffocated man cries for help and grasps for air, but the pink-haired woman is stronger than she looks. Kagami snorts over his friend's demise until she releases Kuroko from her firm hold.

After a round of farewells, she follows her friend and just like that, they were gone.

"Kise-kun is going to be unhappy when he hears about your crush, Kagami-kun."

Kagami jolts out of his lovestruck gaze and scowls at the shorter male.

"I don't have a crush," he responds defensively.

"Your eyes checking out that fine ass says otherwise," Kuroko says impassively.

Kagami came out of the kitchen to have a good time, but he's honestly feeling attacked right now.

"I-It's only a passing infatuation!" Kagami sputters back.

"So you find him attractive."

"Yes."

"And yet you don't want to tap that," Kuroko looks at him with judgmental eyes.

Kagami sighs tiredly, "Look, Kuroko, he's not ugly but-"

"If this is about sexual orientation," Kuroko cuts in and drops his volume, "I would like to let you know that no matter who you date, the rest of the Miracles and I will fully support-"

Kagami groans and pushes Kuroko into the kitchen, ready to give him a piece of his mind until his coworker calls his name.

Koganei meekly peeks through a small sliver, uncertain if he could open the door and barge in.

"Um," he hesitates, "I don't mean to interrupt... But Mitobe is asking if you guys could restock for the next rush."

"We will, Koganei-kun," Kuroko replies.

"Sure," Kagami adds.

Letting out a breath of relief, their jittery coworker closes the door.

How Koganei manages to communicate with Mitobe so fluidly is something Kagami will never figure out, but he won't butt in between their tacit understanding of each other. He shakes his head in bemusement and grabs a stepladder to climb to the top shelf where most of their supplies are stored.

"Careful, Kagami-kun," his friend warns, "If you get too close to the ceiling again, you might seriously injure yourself."

"Ha ha ha," Kagami mockingly laughs. He grabs a bag of premium coffee beans and spitefully throws it at Kuroko's dumb face. "Hilarious," he mutters.

Kuroko almost grabs Kagami's apron to retaliate, but before he could do so, someone knocks on the door.

Kagami sighs and lightly jumps off the stepladder. He reaches for the doorknob and says, "Koganei, we appreciate that you're being polite, but you can just open the door and-"

He stops midway and hitches his breath once he sees their visitor. A man of short stature stands before him. He has a mousy appearance, and the professional attire he dons does little to improve that image. However, this man is one many recognize, for he is always by Akashi's side, ready to strike when necessary. His name is Furihata Kouki, and he is on a mission to retrieve the two members of the Generation of Miracles.

"Hello Kagami," he greets with a nervous tic. "Kuroko," he nods in acknowledgement.

Kuroko steps closer. "It is nice to see you again, Furihata-san. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Furihata makes an odd expression and beckons them to follow him as he begins to go outside. Parked nearby the entrance is a sleek, classy limo, a rare sight to find in this neighborhood. Furihata opens the back door for his two passengers.

"Seijuurou wishes to speak with you."

"Why?" Kagami asks.

Both heroes enter the vehicle, and then their chauffeur throws today's newspaper to their lap. Kuroko skims over its contents, his face growing more solemn as he reaches the end of the article.

"He's back," he whispers. "I can't believe he's back."

"Who?"

"Hanamiya Makoto."

* * *

"Hanamiya Makoto is a criminal who escaped prison three days ago. You may not recognize him, Kagami, but I assure you that he is a danger to society," Akashi summarizes with ease.

"We captured him before you joined the team," Kuroko adds. "He abuses his power by inducing his victims into a coma with his venom. After that, he controls their body as if they were his puppets and forces them to do his vile deeds. He views his puppets as tools. Once they are of no use to him, he disposes them by stopping their heart instead of freeing them from their trance."

Kuroko curls his mouth. The memory of those lifeless bodies bring a bitter taste to his mouth.

"That's terrible," Kagami agrees, "But…"

Lo and behold, Kagami is strapped to a chair as makeup artists continue to add powder and blush to his cheeks.

"What the hell is this?!" He screams but coughs midway when the fumes enter his mouth.

"Exactly what you expect," the man with heterochromatic eyes says with a slight smirk.

"Hanamiya Makoto is an important issue to discuss, but we have more trifling matters at the moment," Furihata laughs nervously.

"What could be more important than a rampant killer on the loose?!"

A normal woman with cropped brown hair strides into Akashi's office. She is plain with the exception of lip gloss on her lips, but she exudes confidence and an air of importance as she sizes Kagami up. She has a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other.

"Nice to meet you, Jump Squared," she introduces herself before Kagami can ask, "My name is Riko Aida and I am here to have to have an interview with you."

" _What?_ "


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Never Ask Questions About Pi. The Answer is Neverending.**

 **A/N:** **No Aomine here, but some plot worthy points can be found. But don't worry, next chapter Kagami is gonna get kidnapped again.** **Also, just in case you don't know, Akashi hates seaweed and loves tofu. It's a fact of life.**

 **Also thank you for your kind messages and support. They always mean a lot to me.**

* * *

Riko Aida is a prestigious name, one Kagami is all too familiar with. Her name is one many in the Superhero community revere and respect, a famous icon within the ranks of politicians and reporters. She was an avid advocate of the community back in her prime years, but time etched its mark on her face. She would occasionally write an article for her magazine, but nowadays she would rather enjoy the rest of her life with her loving husband, Kiyoshi Teppei. Even though the woman seems petite and delicate, Riko Aida refuses to let go of her domineering attitude, which is perfectly exemplified in Kagami's case.

The superhero respects her for her accomplishments and contributions to society. He really does. However, after the reporter grilled him for an intense hour without a warning, well, that puts him in a sour mood. He makes a mental note of removing tofu from Akashi's miso soup later in the week.

Riko Aida is professionally unfazed as she continues to fire off questions during the interview. She boldly makes eye contact with Kagami even though most of his face is hidden by his mask, but this attitude should not be a surprise since she is a veteran reporter.

The red-haired hero slowly lets relief seep in as he senses the interview winding down to an end, but the reprieve is short-lived once the reporter asks her final question.

"As you may have noticed, there have been controversies regarding one of your teammates," Riko Aida states as she shifts her recorder closer to him.

"I assume you are referring to Time Bomb," Kagami smoothly replies with a steely demeanor. This is one touchy subject he wishes to not dwell upon.

Time Bomb is only an alias, but he is simply known as Midorima Shintaro. The public is not aware of his true identity since the hero regularly appears in his hero suit. Since he is often seen in it, the last major rumor that permeated the hero world about him was the debate whether he was human or not. However, this rumor is not as silly as the last one.

Riko Aida continues, "There is speculation that the aforementioned hero was one of the several children who was kidnapped during the Purge. What are your thoughts on that?"

A hot flash of emotions course through his veins, as if the word itself could teleport him back to those atrocious times.

 _The Purge_ , he thinks disdainfully.

He never wants to recount those memories ever again. He reaches for his neck to clutch onto his anchor in fear of losing his breath. Alas, he left it back at his room, and a sense of dread washes over him. Goosebumps prickle his arms, and a bead of sweat forms on his temple. He curses himself for his weakness, his co-dependency on the necklace. He should be happy, he reasons. He's finally beginning to forget to bring his memento.

Kagami clears his throat and swallows. He cannot allow Riko Aida to leave with the wrong impression. This is Midorima's reputation on the line.

The introduction of super powers are relatively recent, and during those unstable days, the government was slow on the uptake. The government's inadequate response endangered many who showed signs of these powers. A high percentage of the population who displayed these unique abilities were children, thus beginning a horrific chain reaction. Numerous children were the target of mass kidnappings, and Midorima Shintarou was the unfortunate victim of these abductions.

Kagami swallows the lump in his throat. He has to answer to the best of his abilities, or Riko Aida may leave with the wrong impression.

He straightens his back and lifts his head with pride. Even though he hates interviews, he is no coward.

"Time Bomb is a great asset to the team. He has saved hundreds of lives, and without him, many of our missions would have failed."

Riko Aida flips her pen with a gleam in her eye. "Are you saying Time Bomb can be excused of his crimes despite the possibility he killed hundreds before becoming a hero?"

Midorima was abused, brainwashed, and tortured at a young age. He was a pawn, a tool for the criminals who kidnapped him, and under their instruction, he killed many in his wake. Midorima had a reputation as a disturbed child hungry for blood until he was rescued during his late teen years, but the damage had already been done. To the public, he was a green menace, but to Akashi Seijuurou and Takao Kazunari, he was an individual who deserved a second chance.

"Just like you said, Aida-san," Kagami shrugs, "This is only speculation."

He gives her a slanted smile and defends, "Nobody should ever be excused of his crimes though, which is why we have the justice system, but to me, Time Bomb seems to be a righteous man with eccentricities. Besides that, he doesn't seem to be a mass murdering criminal on the loose."

He mentally pats himself on the back for that response. Kuroko would be so proud of him, he thinks sarcastically.

"Alright, that's a wrap. Thank you very much for your contribution, Jump Squared," Riko Aida says as she extends her hand for a firm handshake. "It was a pleasure to work with you."

He jumps a little over the sudden conclusion but immediately rises up. "Uh," he starts at a loss for words, "Thanks for having me," he adds hastily.

The woman gives him a 100-watt smile. "Seriously, you were a huge help. I always learn something new every day whenever I interview you guys."

Kagami rubs his hands together, unsure of how to continue the flow of the conversation. "Well… thanks for not being too hard on me."

Besides that particular question concerning Midorima, the rest of her questions and insights were relatively easy.

"I hope we can meet again sometime," she says with a fond look in her eyes.

After that, they went their separate ways. Kagami changes back into his regular clothes and ruffles his hair back to its untamable style. He turns around and gives himself a glance over in front of the mirror. The cakey makeup is still on his face, but he can borrow some makeup remover wipes from Kise. He packs up his belongings and begins to head for home. Home is the Akashi mansion where he cohabitates with the rest of the Miracles. Even though they're a boisterous bunch, he prefers a crowded house over an empty one any day.

After passing through the security system Akashi's paranoid ass installed into the front gates of the mansion, the first person he sees is Kise waiting at the living room for him. He greets him with welcoming arms.

"Kagamicchi!"

Kagami dodges to right as Kise hugs the air and lands on the ground. However, this did not discourage or dishearten his efforts to send his beloved teammate affection. The redhed leaves a displeased sound as Kise somehow wraps him like an octopus and nuzzles against his collarbone. The racket the two were making notified the others of their presence and brings forth the rest of them out of their rooms.

"Welcome home, Kagami-kun" Kuroko murmurs to his left, and Kagami jumps away from his spot, once again taken by surprise as the former appeared at his right side. This action causes Kise, who was latching onto his frame like a lifeline, to detach himself from him and drop.

He opens his mouth to whine and guilt Kagami into kissing his nonexistent wounds until he was cut off by Murasakibara and Akashi.

"Welcome Taiga," he smiles serenely as if the bastard didn't just force him into an unplanned interview, "How was Riko?"

"A spitfire," Kagami grouses.

"Then she's still the same as I remembered."

Murasakibara is not one for small talk, so he crosses over to Kagami to pat him on the head. It's one of the few attributes of standing over everyone like a tower. "Hello Kagachin," he drawls slowly.

Kagami peeks through the gaps in his fingers with an expressionless face. "What do you want?" He is not willing to play a guessing game. Murasakibara always come to him whenever he needs something.

Murasakibara beams with a childish glow. "Food," he answers.

"Of course it's food. It's always food," he grumbles. He mentally reviews over what they have in stock in the fridge and thinks about today's dinner.

"Okay, back up everyone, give me some space," he complains as he bulldozes his way to his room, "I swear ever since I started living with you lot, I'm gonna get claustrophobic or something."

He climbs his way up the stairs and bellows out, "I'm going to take a quick shower. Instead of standing there like sitting ducks, it would be nice if you could prepare the vegetables and tableware." He pauses mid-step and remembers, "And Midorima, don't you dare touch the spice rack again!" He does not want a repeat of last week's incident and bathe in paprika and cinnamon again.

There are a couple of snickers here and there as Midorima reddens like a tomato.

However, they cease once they distinctly hear a sound similar to a roar coming from Kagami's room. The man slams his bedroom door and stomps his way downstairs like a rampaging bull. He halts in front of them with a promise of destruction and hellfire in his eyes.

He narrows his eyes at them accusingly.

"Who did it?" he asks menacingly.

The Miracles looked at each other with confuzzlement.

"Who _fucking_ ordered a trampoline," he spits out, "and _fucking_ delivered it to my room?"

* * *

Kagami is pissed off, the kind of anger that radiates in waves and averts away any happy feelings. That includes Kise as a whole.

"Kagami."

Apparently they do not drive off gloomy, green-haired men holding a bouquet of glow sticks.

"What?" he snaps.

Midorima avoids his gaze and lowers his eyes toward the dim glow of the sticks. He presses his lips into a thin line, contemplating deeply as if he was avoiding a walk into a landmine. Well, with Kagami's current attitude, the comparison is not far off.

"You were not aware of Kuroko's presence during the interview," he confesses, "But he eavesdropped some segments."

Of course Kuroko could slip in, Kagam offhandedly thinks. He is an assassin after all. It's in the job description to have the ability to spy private conversations.

"I want to thank you… for defending me," Midorima grounds out as if saying thanks is not in his nature. However, it is a rarity in this world, so color him surprised.

Taken aback by the slight gesture of gratitude, Kagami rubs his neck, pondering over what to say next.

"Uh, no problem," he awkwardly replies and winces. "Good job in sounding like an idiot," he mutters to himself.

The bespectacled man lifts his head and makes eye contact. "Were you…" He licks his lips, "Were you directly affected by the Purge?"

Kagami lets out a humorless laugh, "Haven't we all been affected?"

"Akashi lost his father as a result of a kidnapping case. Kise remembered being constantly surrounded by bodyguards. As for me…" Midorima pauses, "Well, you know what happened to me."

"Lost my family and a good friend," Kagami reveals and shrugs it off as if experiencing a traumatic experience during childhood is nothing.

"I'm… sorry."

"I should say the same for you," Kagami grins wryly. "Well," he says as he stretches his arms toward the ceiling. "I should head back to the kitchen before the guys starve."

Understanding his unsaid plea to end the conversation, Midorima nods and makes way to leave, but not before leaving a tidbit of necessary information.

"Kagami," he says.

The red-haired man turns around to find Midorima in his space. He freezes as the man leans over his shoulder to hover near his ear.

"The person who sent the trampoline," he breathes in a low voice," ... is Akashi."

Then he steps back at smirks at Kagami's bewildered expression. However, it did not last long as it morphs into a face belonging to a demon.

"AKASHI FUCKING SEIJUUROU. YOU. ARE. SO. SCREWED."

Being screwed means finding seaweed in every meal of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:** **Swimmers Have to Be Careful Not to Get Into Deep Trouble.**

 **A/N: Wow can't believe I updated so soon. Just a reminder that Aomine knows Kagami's identity, but Kagami doesn't know his. Thank you for all of the support and enjoy!**

 **P.S Forgot to mention I have a tumblr. You can visit me on kurokonomochi**

* * *

Technically, if Aomine retraces his steps back to the start of this mess, it's all Kagami's fault.

Kagami just had to decide to be an unconventional superhero and asked him out on a casual date after his shift. He could have been one of the more modern superheroes and wallowed in his cave, angsting over his shallow love life, but no, he had to ask him out on a stinking date like a regular, functional human being. If he didn't ask him out on a date, Aomine wouldn't have choked. If he hadn't choked, then he wouldn't have to resort to kidnapping the infuriating man out of sheer nervousness. Now, Aomine is stuck with Jump Squared screaming bloody murder over at the next room because he kidnapped him on the day of their supposed date.

Pretty much, it's all Kagami's fault.

"As if!" Satsuki screeches as she smacks his noggin with the tuxedo catalog he was skimming earlier. Seriously, all of this is incredibly stupid. Aomine Daiki, sex god and villain extraordinaire, has reduced to a bumbling idiot because of some smoking, well-defined ass. He should have recognized his state of panic if he was contemplating a tuxedo as the best thing to wear for a casual burger date. In his defense, no sane person would be able to maintain a straight face once they are exposed to Kagami's infamous immaculate smile without going away all hot and bothered.

Overall, as mentioned beforehand, it's all Kagami's fault.

Currently, both Satsuki and he are at the next room over, warily observing him with their surveillance cameras, and the outlook does not look good. Not good at all.

"Black Ice!" Kagami screams to the rooftops as he struggles against his binds. "Once I get my hands on you, I swear," he grunts as the ropes bites into his skin, "I'M GOING TO FLAY YOU ALIVE AND TURN YOU INTO MINCEMEAT."

Then he loses his balance in the midst of his attempts to escape and topples over. If Aomine wasn't so concerned over the integrity of his manhood, he would have found this funny. And pathetic.

Kagami continues to cry out in frustration like a rabid, wild animal, spewing out curses no respectable woman should ever hear. Aomine hurriedly presses the mute button and takes a deep breath.

There's no doubt about it. This is the most angry Aomine has ever seen of Jump Squared.

"Dai-chan," Satsuki puts her hands on her hips and looks at him with a deep frown. "Explain to me why Kagamin is here and almost naked."

She eyes the screen as Kagami heaves himself back up, sweat seeping from his glistening, tanned skin. The only piece of clothing saving his modesty is a black pair of boxers. She glares at her childhood friend accusingly, lips jutted out in disapproval.

The blue-haired man has the audacity to look sheepish and guiltily stares at the ground. "I was going to the gym and-"

"You were going to the gym," she repeats in disbelief. "You never go to the gym. You _hate_ going to the gym."

"So I _went_ to the gym," Aomine grits his teeth, "and saw Kagami going into the gym, too."

"Oh my god, I can't believe you were hoping to coincidentally bump into Kagamin at the gym," she groans.

He twiddles with his fingers, "Well… it wasn't really a coincidence…"

Satsuki's voice begins to reach a piercing volume, "I can't believe you FOLLOWED Kagamin into the gym."

"I couldn't stay here!" the villain weakly defends. "I didn't know what to do about our first date, so I-"

"You panicked over a simple burger date," she deadpans. "And then you proceeded to follow your date into the gym." She pauses for dramatic effect. "And kidnapped him."

"Well, when you put it like that I kinda-"

"How did you even kidnap him without attracting any attention?" she asks tiredly. After this fiasco, she is going to go to the closest Starbucks with extra shots.

"Well, he usually goes to the gym during dead hours," he explains.

The pink-haired woman does not dare ask him how he knows this information without her help.

"And before he takes a shower and changes, he goes to the swimming pool for a quick swim," he mindlessly continues.

Once this blows over, Satsuki is going to restrict his bank account and give him lessons on how to not be a creepy creep.

"It was almost time for the appointed date, so I freaked out," he confesses.

"And?"

"..."

"Dai-chan, I swear if you do not tell me on the count of three, you can kiss your gravure magazines goodbye."

Aomine gulps. The woman's patience has been tested long enough.

"One…."

She lifts the second finger, "Two…"

"Ikindaknockedhimoutwithchlorinegas," he mumbles in concession.

Satsuki blinks at the jumbled response. "What?"

Aomine sighs. There is no way he is going to get out of this sticky situation alive. Might as well tell her the truth. He rubs his palms against each other and takes a shuddered breath. "Well, I kinda experimented on the water and separated it from the chlorine," he starts uneasily and picks at the dead skin on his fingers. "And I kinda knocked him out with chlorine gas?"

"WHAT?!"

He winces. Yeah, he could have worded that better.

"You could have killed him!"

Never mind. He couldn't.

"This is your entire fault," she huffs as she crosses her arms over her well-endowed chest. "Fix it," she demands.

Aomine sputters at that. "Huh? How?!"

"Fix it and apologize," she repeats coldly. "Now."

Aomine opens his mouth to retort, but his best female companion herds him out of the surveillance room and into his uniform room.

"You're not leaving this building until you clean up your mistakes," she huffs as she gives him one last push.

Aomine gives her the stink eye as the doors slide shut. He continues to grumble as he sheds his clothes and slips on his suit. He then stands in front of a mirror, giving himself a twirl to check and see if he looks presentable. With one resounding smack on his ass, he gives himself a nod and marches over to the next room.

Kagami does not even give him a second.

"You fucking bastard with raisins for balls."

Aomine sighs.

"You fat noodle with a wet suit."

Aomine briskly walks forward.

"One hundred-year-old egg."

"Enough!" Aomine shouts in his face. "What the fuck is one hundred-year-old egg anyway?"

"I don't know," Kagami snaps back, "But I know for sure it's you."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

It's not supposed to, Kagami thinks. Kuroko gave Kagami some pointers on insults, and in order to make the most effective ones, they have to be extremely ridiculous.

"Take an offensive adjective," Kuroko gestures with one hand and claps both hands together, "And combine it with a random noun. Voila, you have an insult."

If someone pulled out a dictionary from Akashi's extensive library and looked up for the definition of rage, Kagami Taiga would be it. A permanent scowl distorts his handsome face; his eyebrows creased so much they almost meet at the middle. His blood boils and hot and ready to implode. However, in Aomine's opinion, the worst of them all are his crimson, vindictive eyes.

"I hate you," the redheaded man spits out. "Stop ruining my life."

"Puh-lease," Aomine rolls his eyes. "Missing one date doesn't mean the apocalypse is here."

Kagami lashes out and breaks skin as a poor attempt to release himself in a fit of blind fury.

"Don't you dare hurt Aomine!" he growls.

He is half-naked. His face is bare for the world to see. This villain most likely knows his background and every single relationship he ever had, but that doesn't stop his fingers twitching to strangle that neck and choke him to death.

Aomine honestly feels immensely flattered by this display of fierce loyalty and protection. It is a tad awkward that they are discussing about him, but it doesn't change the fact that Kagami actually _likes_ him. Well, he doesn't like _all_ of him, but he likes half of him so that counts as a win. Aomine knows he shouldn't rile this man, but he never listens to his instincts anyway. The curiosity of the depth of Kagami's feelings for him is too much to ignore.

He yawns boorishly and puts on his best disinterested tone. "What's so great about this guy anyway?"

He hides his smirk when he sees Kagami perk at the question.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"He doesn't look like hot shit, in my opinion, and I know what's hot shit." He gestures his whole body, wet suit and all. "I," he emphasizes, "Am an excellent example of a fine specimen."

Kagami takes the bait. "Shut the fuck up!" he growls. "You ain't shit, you hear me? Aomine is twice the man you can ever hope to be."

Aomine's ego inflated three sizes that day.

"Really?" he challenges him in a mocking manner. "Then tell me what makes him so extraordinary. I'm dying to know." He crosses his arms and says, "Unless you have low rate standards just like your powers.

He waits and listens for a litany of exaltations or anything that is remotely similar to Kagami gushing over his alter ego, but not one utterance of praise reaches his ears.

Instead, the man _laughs_. "Ha! As if," he sneers condescendingly. "I'm not shallow like you," he says in a derisive tone.

Aomine cocks one eyebrow at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're probably the type of guy who thrives in tits and asses," he sniffs. "Doesn't matter if the person is as dumb as a brick. As long as you can grope them like the disgusting pervert you are."

Aomine glares at the other man. He does not appreciate these harsh, baseless assumptions. Sure, he can be quite obsessive once he moons over someone. Hell, he's not going to argue over the fact that he does love a nice set of boobs and a great looking butt. However, if there is one thing he will never be, that would be one of those nasty old men who sexually harass people in broad daylight.

Heck, he loves Kagami. He hopes that counts as something. Okay, there is a tiny part of him that enjoys leering over the redhead's toned abs and sculpted muscles, but he likes Kagami for his other traits, too. Looking at Kagami is like looking at himself in the mirror but in an alternate universe, but he doesn't want to admit it. He sees Kagami's relationship with the Miracles, especially with Tetsu. He recognizes that burning desire to save people. He understands his exhilaration of doing what's right. This man's existence reopens old wounds, repeatedly stabbing them before could heal and scab.

"You can believe whatever you want," Aomine bites back. "But I'm not that kind of man. I have someone I like, too, you know."

"That doesn't stop you from threatening me."

"I won't target Aomine," he sighs. As if he could kidnap himself. That's stupid, but Kagami doesn't know that. "I'm not that cruel."

"Yeah, right. You made me miss my first date."

Kagami glowers at the ground, sullen and miserable. His shoulders are slumped in defeat. The villain knows his identity. To make matters worse, he now knows his potential love interest, who probably has a target on his head. He messed up big time. He'll have to relocate the man and disrupt his routine. He has to ensure to never make contact ever again.

"I should have expected this. Heroes never have good endings," he mutters under his breath.

A stab of guilt inflicts Aomine as he stares the melancholic man. He is once again reminded why Satsuki shoved him here in the first place. His purpose is to rectify the situation, not to flop it and turn it into a pity fest.

He opens his mouth but closes it before impulsive words leave his lips. He ponders over his next set of lines, but his brain fails him. He's stumped. Guilt continues to spread and consume, eating away his conscience. He groans inwardly. Apologizing sounds like such an arduous feat.

Instead of saying sorry, one question pervades his mind.

"Why?" he asks.

Kagami lifts his head, confusion written all over his face.

"Why did you ask that guy out on a date despite knowing the risks?" he persists. "Your job already endangers your life. Yet, you still pursued a relationship. Why did you do that?"

He's being a hypocrite. He knows that. He yearns for Kagami's presence by his side despite knowing the dangers lurking in the shadows, despite knowing the murderer who framed him is still on the loose.

Kagami eyes Black Ice strangely as if he grew another head.

"I believed in Aomine," he replies warily. "I believed he was strong enough to handle the burden with me."

Memories flood through him as he recalls his first encounters with the silent but kind-hearted man. Aomine is obviously not a man of many words. He is definitely a looker, but the man captivated his heart with his good deeds. He would pay the tab for a worn out family in a diner. He would offer his seat to another and help guide them to their destination without a second thought. He would hand a child his own ice cream cone if the child dropped his. These are all actions Kagami has witnessed. These are all the reasons why Kagami fell in love with him.

His actual real encounter with the strange but quiet man was at the Kiseki cafe. When he recognized his tanned skin and mussy black hair, he asked him why he would go through the trouble to do such things. That was when he figured out the man couldn't speak. Aomine took out his noteworthy white board and marker and messily scrawled out his answer.

"People may not see me as a hero," he wrote, "But that doesn't stop me from wanting to make a world a better place."

This man's answer enhanced his resolve to stay with the Generation of Miracles even though he felt too green to do so when he started out. Kagami's heart raced at the memory as if it was just yesterday. He could convey these emotions to the villain, help him understand why he believes in Aomine's will, but he doesn't. He leaves him plain words and hopes for the best.

"Okay," the blue-haired man says in resignation. A revelation dawns on him.

"Huh?"

"At first, I thought you were stupid, asking a regular human out on a date despite the consequences."

"Hey!"

"But I see your point." Aomine smiles fondly. "I guess I have nothing to be afraid of."

He remembers of one significant rainy day. There were a small group of dumb kids who wore light jackets and forgot their umbrellas. He remembers that it was pouring heavily, and the kids were ready to make a break for it. He also remembers of a huge man who dropped off his raincoat over their heads. He remembers this moment. He remembers it all.

The coat was so big; it covered all of their heads. Before the kids could return it, the guy ran out into the rain with a large bento box as his makeshift hat. It was a pretty incredible sight as he disappeared down the street. Aomine doesn't know what that man was thinking, running while wearing sandals in that horrible weather. However, he understands what Kagami means. After all, when he saw that stark two-toned hair at the Kiseki cafe, he couldn't help but think how strong he was to donate his coat in that pouring rain.

Jump Squared squirms under his attention, suspicious of the tender expression Aomine is currently wearing. "What the heck are you talking about?" he says.

Aomine smiles widely. "The guy I like is strong, too," he finalizes.

He gives a wave of his hand and proceeds to leave. "I'll let you go," he says calmly. "It was a nice talk."

Kagami is stunned by the sudden change of heart.

"One word of advice, though," the villain warns as he transmits a message to Satsuki to notify her that the tiger has been sedated. "I'm quite fond of you," he says. "So take heed when I tell you to be careful of Akashi Seijuurou," he adds solemnly. He does not look like he is kidding.

His accomplice seems to be appeased by the news and unlocks the doors. They slide open as the villain steps in. His straightened back is the last image Kagami sees before Black Ice vanishes from his sight until the doors slide close.

The doors clamp shut, just mere milliseconds away from him hearing, "I guess that wasn't a bad first date."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:** **If you can't be with the one you love, love the wine you're with.**

Aomine sits at the dinner table with his hands interlocked together as if in prayer. He lowers his head against the tabletop. Shame and regret fills him. The damage was too irreparable. It is now a dark mark in his long list of mistakes.

"I'm so sorry, Satsuki," he chokes in grief. "If I could change the past, I would have done it."

Across the table is his long-time friend. However, that statement may have to be retracted today. All these years of unyielding friendship and loyalty have been erased like the imprints on a sandy beach. The bonds they shared ever since their childhood days are now meaningless. He severed them and ripped them into shreds.

"I know I don't deserve forgiveness," he says with a tremor in his voice.

He will forever cherish his relationship with Satsuki; her memory will forever be immortalized in his autobiography.

"You don't," the woman replies coldly.

"I won't ask for it," he says. He'll even give up his career as a bad guy for penance. However, his sins may have been too great to be atoned.

"You had one job." There is a steely gaze in her eyes. "I gave you one fucking job, Aomine Daiki."

Said Aomine flinches at her harsh tone. Shit. She must be supremely pissed to curse and call out his whole name.

"I know you're mad, and-"

"I'm not mad," she cuts in.

Damn. She didn't even let him finish his sentence. Instead, she automatically drops the atomic bomb.

"I'm disappointed in you," she finishes.

Her harsh words strike his heart, and Aomine simmers there, burning in utter shame.

Momoi Satsuki seats herself tiredly and slumps in her chair. Every movement practically screams fatigue and lack of sleep. She won't be surprised if she's diagnosed with insomnia at this point.

"Dai-chan, you don't understand," she sighs. "Those were my best wine glasses."

Aomine tightens his fists as his face flushes with that reminder.

"I'm very busy Dai-chan due to all of your requests," she continues. "So when I ask you to do the dishes since you obviously have the advantage to do so," she refers back to his powers, "I expect you to do the dishes."

If looks could kill, Satsuki's would slay him.

"Instead," she slams her palm against the surface, "You recklessly cleaned my wine glass and broke them."

The sound of skin slapping against wood rings in Aomine's ears.

"I know you can control your power… And yet you shattered every one of them."

The pitiful blue-haired man kneels at the ground and closes his eyes, begging for forgiveness at her very feet. "I'm sorry," he says miserably. "I promise I'll buy you new ones. I promise I'll do the dishes for the entire month!"

Satsuki huffs and scooches her chair away from Aomine's hunching figure. "No, I won't forgive you for this," she says.

Aomine closes his eyes tighter. He doesn't know how he can mollify her.

"Especially when I've forgiven you for this," he hears.

A shuffle of papers is the next sound he hears. He slowly opens his eyes, fearing for the worst. However, what greets him is not a manicured hand bitch slapping him in the face. It is not even a rolled up gravure magazine smacking him out of the galaxy. Instead, it is something worse than the both of the two combined.

His best friend gives him a sad smile. He hates it whenever she looks like that. It reminds him of the time when he was first branded as a criminal and escaped into her basement. Satsuki presents him a bundle of newspaper clippings and graphs. Under the stack are handwritten notes, or more importantly, _his_ handwritten notes.

"I told you to stop invading my room," he grumbles.

He pushes himself up and stares at the papers blankly.

"I know," she replies. "But you forgot to drop off Akashi's schedule at my desk."

She spreads out the newspaper clippings first. Most of the headliners are related to the increasing number of people missing ever since Hanamiya's return. A few bodies found have traces that lead back to the immoral man.

"I didn't want to bother you," she explains, "So I quickly went inside to pick up the schedule." She pauses. "... Until I saw those," she says as she refers back to his handwritten notes.

They are rough drafts in ways to say goodbye to the one and only Kagami Taiga. By extension, this also marks her farewell to her beloved Tetsu-kun.

"I'm sorry," Aomine apologizes again but for a completely different reason. "I know how much you liked-"

"You don't have to apologize for that," she interrupts. "That is irrelevant. I understood the complications of staying by your side ever since that fated day."

The world abandoned Aomine Daiki years ago. That despairing day was the worst day of his life, but Momoi Satsuki is not the world. She is his best friend, and best friends stick together to the end.

She extends her hand and grips his shoulder tightly, pouring all of her feelings into that grip. "It's good that you are breaking your ties with Kagamin," she says with pained sorrow. "This way he doesn't have to be concerned over your alter ego. Even better," she gives him a strained smile, "He won't be too involved with our mission."

Years of friendship has trained him to perceive her unspoken fears. She doesn't want Tetsu to be involved either.

"Look at us," he laughs bitterly. "We're going to stuck pining for decades at this rate."

Satsuki gives him a forlorn look as she watches her friend in constant distress. The obstacles are abundant and merciless. Their goals seem almost unachievable. However, if there is one person who could overcome these rough patches in this long, winding road, that person would be Aomine Daiki.

This is what she thinks. This is what she believes. Sadly, she also knows that Aomine would deny her words, deflecting them as empty, false hope.

Therefore, she lets go of his shoulder and heads to the kitchen. She opens the top cupboards near the refrigerator and brandishes two plastic cups. Though wine glasses would be ideal for the occasion, she has to make do with them. As if they shared a telepathic message, her friend whips out a bottle of wine from their storage. She follows his lead and joins him at the table once more.

He pours her a cup and raises his in the air. "To heroes who never have good endings," he toasts.

"To us," she interjects, "Who will get our happy endings."

With that she clinks her cup against his.

She wanted to make a clinking sound, but with plastic, it makes a short, anticlimactic thump.

* * *

"Taiga, if you continue to stare at those poor hyacinths any longer, I fear they'll wilt by the time you're done with them."

According to the language of flowers, purple hyacinths are the flowers to use to apologize. Luckily, they are available during the springtime, so Kagami thought it was a good idea to drag Akashi out of his gloomy office to scope out for florists. Sadly, Akashi is an uncooperative companion. The man moodily shifts his baseball cap and tugs on his collar.

Since Akashi Seijuurou is recognized as a beneficial philanthropist and official member of the Generation of Miracles, he has to take caution whenever he steps out of the mansion. He cannot carelessly hang out with the other members of his team because that could compromise their secret identities. The newest member of their group does not seem to get that memo.

"I'm sure this Masamune fellow will forgive you if you simply apologized and batted your eyes," says Akashi. He can confidently say this since he is speaking from experience.

"For the hundredth time," Kagami sighs tiredly, "His name is Aomine."

The shorter male deliberately ignores that correction and adds, "You don't have to give Miuramine flowers-"

"Aomine," Kagami interrupts curtly.

"-Just for missing one date. If he truly cares for you, he would understand and accept whatever excuse you may come up with," Akashi finishes.

"... You're still salty over the seaweed thing, aren't you?"

"Taiga," Akashi says his name in an innocent, honeyed voice and gently puts a hand over his heart. "My sodium levels are fine. You don't have to be concerned over my salt consumption. After all, I just got the results from my physical last week."

Kagami can practically taste the sarcasm radiating off his leader. Actually, he's practically the embodiment of it. For a successful billionaire, he sure knows how to hold a petty grudge.

However, Kagami does not have time for trivial disputes. There are more pressing matters at hand.

The redhead palms his forehead and says, "You don't understand."

He pulls out his phone from his pocket.

"Thanks to a certain blue-haired villain," he explains with a quiet but furious tone, "I missed my first date and couldn't even immediately contact Aomine since my phone was still in the gym's locker room."

He aggressively pushes the brightly lit screen that displays his latest messages against Akashi's face. Since the electronic device is millimeters away from touching his cheek, he has to squint to read Kagami's point.

"You see that?" he asks a bit hysterically. "He didn't even reply when I apologized through text!"

"Taiga, you're overreacting," the other male calmly replies. "Your boyfriend was most likely busy and-"

"Then I tried calling him a few times, but he didn't pick up-"

"Taiga."

"Shit! Of course he wouldn't pick up the phone! He doesn't even talk!"

"Taiga."

"Oh my god! I can't believe I was so insensitive. I wouldn't even be surprised if he made a restraining order-"

"Taiga!" Akashi snaps and grips Kagami's shoulders to brace him. "You are making a scene," he hisses.

Kagami instantly shuts the hell up. Finally placated, he pauses and watchfully notices his surroundings. Embarrassingly, he is catching a couple of wary glances. There is even one mother who is shielding her child's eyes and escorting her out of the shop lest the crazy red-haired man approaches them.

Kagami furtively glances at Akashi. Akashi arches one brow.

"Oops," he laughs nervously.

Akashi clicks his tongue and determinedly heads toward the cash register to rectify this problem. He notches up his charisma in full blast and plasters on a charming, princely smile. Despite his disguised appearance, he is still quite the looker. He pulls out some pocket change from his breast pocket, and to make a clarification, pocket change is a vast understatement. In Akashi's world, pocket change translates to a small stack of bills that can total up to a couple hundreds, and with that stack of money, he graciously hands it to the florist's hands.

"I deeply apologize for causing a ruckus in your establishment," he says politely and bows in a perfect right angle. "I hope this will compensate for our impudent behavior. Please excuse us."

The owner of the floral shop gawks at the pile of cash in his hands. Then Akashi herds Kagami out of the establishment.

"So much for avoiding attention," he sighs and drags them to an emptier alleyway.

He travels further into the abandoned hiding spot until he is certain there are no pesky bystanders in their vicinity. Once he is done inspecting their surroundings, he turns to Kagami with an unamused face.

"Well?" he asks while tapping his foot on the ground. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm an idiot."

"And?"

"I'm sorry that I ruined your free time with my personal problems."

"And?"

"I shouldn't have endangered your identity like that?" Kagami says with hesitance.

"And?"

"What?" Kagami snipes back. "What else do you want me to say?"

A glimmer flits through Akashi's eyes. "In exchange for my forgiveness," he bargains, "You will have to promise me that you will stop adding seaweed into my tofu soup."

"I knew it!" Kagami argues back and points an accusing finger at him. "I knew you still held a grudge about that!"

"You also have to add extra tofu," Akashi demands.

"What?!"

"Promise me," he presses.

"Ugh, fine!" Kagami groans. It's like dealing with a petulant child. The latter thinks the same.

"I, Kagami Taiga," he announces snobbishly, "Promise to never add seaweed into your miso soup ever again." He looks away from Akashi's smug face. "Happy now?"

Appeased, Akashi replies with a slight smile, "Happy."

He checks his gold luxury wristwatch. "It seems that it is already lunchtime," he reveals as he begins to walk back to the main sidewalk. "Would you care to join me for lunch?" he offers. "Since I am in a fair mood today, I'll treat for the both of us."

Kagami perks up at the mention of food. There are stars in his eyes. Saliva pools in his mouth.

"Really?" he asks excitedly.

He follows after Akashi with light steps like a dog wagging his tail. After all, free food is the way to a man's heart. His stomach rumbles at the thought of mouth-watering food. He's famished and hungers for a mountain of burgers on his plate. He is ready to ramble about which meals he'll order until his eyes met with a familiar pair across the street. His once burgeoning appetite diminishes to dust, and his mouth becomes dry. The owner of those entrancing, dark blue eyes slowly stops with a frown marring his face. Kagami's heart plummets at the sight. Of course Aomine would be upset about his absence.

His fears are valid, but they are not the source of Aomine's dissatisfaction. He is not aware of the truth behind Aomine's frown. Rather, the root of it lies on the gentleman beside him.

Kagami nervously bites his lips. He's been rehearsing this moment ever since, but now that he sees Aomine in the flesh, he has cold feet.

"I see," he hears and breaks out of his trance. He gives Akashi a side glance, but Akashi continues to speak.

"So that is the man who captured your heart," he comments. He places his hand on the small part of Kagami's lower back and gives him the literal push he needs. "You should go and talk to him," he advises with a wry smile. "It's quite rude to gawk and stare like that."

Kagami blinks at the suggestion. "But what about lunch?"

"I'm sensible enough to avoid meddling in your personal affairs," he answers, cool and collected. "Furthermore, I forgot to bring my medication since _somebody_ had a dire emergency."

Kagami has the right to look guilty. "Sorry about that," he apologizes.

"No worries," Akashi says with a genuine smile still on his face. "Though I should return right away. If I don't take them soon, I'll be coughing up blood any minute now," he laughs lightly.

Kagami cringes at the morbid joke. "Your sense of humor is still terrible…" he trails off.

"To each his own," replies Akashi. With that, he veers off to an adjacent street and makes a phone call, most likely contacting his personal assistant for a ride home.

Kagami's eyes flicker back to Aomine who is still wearing that unhappy expression. He wishes he could have the power to replace it with his usual trademark grin, but that would be wishful thinking. He strides forward with a palpating heart as the center of his attention stays frozen there like a deer in headlights. With that image seared in his mind, he steps closer with a renewed sense of determination. In the end, despite what happened, he gave this relationship a shot. He is Jump Squared. He is Kagami Taiga, and he is an individual who is willing to take risks despite the odds.

Instead of shackling himself to the past, he moves forward to the future and joined a superhero team. Instead of blaming himself for Tatsuya's death, he accepts his loss and continues to save countless lives.

Fundamentally, this is who he is, and logically, he shouldn't be afraid of what comes next.

"Aomine," he says in a tight voice. "Um…"

"Kagamin," he hears and jumps at the sudden intrusion. He was so hyper focused on the black-haired man, that he didn't notice Momoi standing by his side.

"Oh!" he exclaims and winces. He hopes he wasn't too obvious that he ignored her. "Hello Momoi," he quickly adds.

"Hello Kagamin," she replies.

Normally, she would casually start the conversation, but today she shows a tinge of sadness. The atmosphere feels dark and heavy.

"What's the matter?" he asks and turns to Aomine for answers. He furrows his brows. Aomine is wearing the same expression as his friend.

"We need to talk in private," says Momoi.

* * *

 **A/N:** **It's hard to write other characters, but it was fun to do a bit of research on Akashi like how he's really bad at making jokes. It's a goal of mines to try to flesh out relationships in this fic (And sorry for giving out GomxKagami vibes I try my best to tone that bias down). One fun fact is when Akashi said "Miuramine" because if you've read Fujimaki's new work, Robot x Laserbeam, you would know that Miura is the name of that character who looks like Aomine.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Kagami may or may not be captured next chapter. Let's find out.**


End file.
